Always There
by CSMichaelis
Summary: Kazuto is hospitalized and must depend on his loved ones to see him through. My first attempt at SAO
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello dear readers, thanks for visiting this story. I just recently got into Sword Art Online. Still watching season 2 so I wanted to apologize in advance for any out of character behavior and such. This is my first try so please don't judge too harshly. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy it.

Kazuto sat on the edge of his bed, his arms wrapped around his stomach. He moaned painfully, carefully reaching over to the bucket his mother had offered him earlier that day, vomiting almost instantly, the pain increased.

"Kazuto?" Midori called through the door. She pushed it open and moved inside.

"M-Mom, y-you didn't-" Midori sat down beside him.

"It's not like I haven't seen anyone be sick before, I'm a mom we see this a lot." She brushed back a few strands of hair from his face, taking note of the fever. When the vomiting had ceased, Midori pulled her son close to her.

"Does your stomach feel better now, sometimes getting sick helps."

"N-Not really." He panted.

"I'm going to get the thermometer, try to rest." She kissed his head and stood up, taking the bag containing the mess with her. Kazuto forced himself to lie back down, curling up on his side.

"Kazuto, are you okay?" The dark haired girl asked in concern from the doorway.

"Y-yeah." He replied, he did his best to maintain his usual tone.

"Are you sure, you haven't been feeling well since yesterday." She made her way over to his bed.

"Just a stomach bug or something. no big deal." Suguha sighed.

"I'm just worried that maybe you're- you wouldn't tell me if it was something more would you?"

"If I thought something was really wrong, I'd tell you. It's just a stomachache."

"It seems a little..intense."

"It's fine. You should get some sleep, tomorrow's school and then you wanted to-ow!" Kazuto squeezed his eyes shut. Before his sister could react,their mother appeared,carrying the thermometer. She removed it from the case.

"Keep it under your tongue." She instructed. "Sugu, go back to bed,you both need your rest."

" Mom,He-"

"I've got it from here." The teen hesitated but did as she was told . She flopped down in her own bed, staring at the ceiling.

"He must think I'm an idiot or something." She complained into the emptiness of her room, she sighed heavily. She hated it when her brother kept things from her. She soon fell asleep.

The sound of her ring tone woke her suddenly, she groaned sleepily,reaching over to her nightstand and looking at the display, feeling slightly confused,she answered.

"Kazuto,What's -"

" I-I'm sorry. " she sat up instantly. His voice was weak and the pain was audible.

"What's wrong?" She felt herself begin to panic as she stood up.

"I wouldn't have -You were the last one I called and-Sugu, it's getting worse and I need you to get mom or-" He gasped.

"Okay, just take it easy,I'm going now." She rushed to her parents 'room knocking loudly. Her heart sank into her stomach as she continued listening to her brother.

"I w-would've-"

"It's okay, I'm glad you called me." She soothed.

It took only seconds for her mother to step out.

"Su-"

"Mom, it's Kazuto. He needs you right now." She handed the phone to her mother.

Kazuto cried out in pain.

"I'll be there soon." She promised, turning to her daughter. "I want you to go get the other phone and call for an ambulance." She instructed, racing toward her son's room. When she arrived she pushed open the door to find him lying on the floor, his body trembling from the pain,

"Kazuto!" She knelt beside him. "What happened?" She brushed back a few strands of hair from his pale, sweaty face.

"I-I feel so weak and it hurts so much. I tried to get up and it hurt to move, I couldn't-"

"Shh, it's going to be okay, we'll get you to the hospital and they'll make you feel better. Try to stay calm and let me take care of everything." She drew in a deep breath to calm herself, knowing that he would need her to be able to comfort him.

"M-mom?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry. "

"Everything is fine. I'll go with you . Try to relax, maybe it will help." She continued to stroke his hair until the ambulance arrived and he was placed on the bed.

Sugu grabbed her brother's phone and charger, following her mother outside.

"Mom-"

"I'll call you when we know something, your father can drop you off in a little while." She kissed her daughter's head and climbed into the vehicle. Sugu watched as it sped away.

"Please Brother, be okay." She whispered. She hurried inside to get ready, packing a few of his things to take with them. All the while fearing the possible results.


	2. Chapter 2

Sugu hurried down the hospital corridor, not really paying attention to her surroundings. Her focus was on the instructions her mother had given her. She stopped at the elevator and pressed the button.

"Come on." She whispered impatiently, she readjusted the bag in her hands. "Everything's going so slow today." When finally the door opened, she hurried in, pressing the button to close the door and the number three. Sugu watched the display above the door, her thoughts with Kazuto.

 _I'm on my way, Brother. I need you to be okay.._ She silently pleaded into the empty elevator. As she reached the third floor, she drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly just in time for the door to open.

Sugu stepped out, finding her mother waiting for her.

"Mom, is he-" Midori pulled her daughter into a hug.

"He's in surgery. No one's been out yet." Midori said.

"He's going to be okay. He was strong enough to come back to us last time, he'll do it again." Sugu comforted. When Midori finally released her, they sat down in the waiting area.

"You're right." Midori said at last. "It's just that, as a mother, seeing your child in that much pain and not being able to help...not being able to be with him right now-"

"But you'll be there when he comes out of it. You're doing everything you can." Sugu took her mother's hand. Suguha did her best to hide her own concerns, but knew the attempt was wearing thin.

"If I had gotten him here sooner-"

"You couldn't have known it would turn out this way. It happened kind of fast." The soft sound emitted from Midori's purse. She reached in and removed her son's phone, glancing at the display. It was only then that she noticed the missed texts.

"It's Asuna. I didn't even realize anyone was-" Midori felt guilt gripping her heart. Sugu took the phone from her mother.

"I'll take care of this, maybe you should get some coffee and take a little break, I'll be right here." Midori nodded.

"I could use some coffee, it's been a long night. I won't be long. Call me if someone comes out." She stood and made her way to the elevator.

Sugu opened the text, scanning the messages.

 _Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while, I just wanted to see if you're ok. Call me when you can. I love you._ She noticed the time shown had been earlier that morning. She scrolled down to the next ones.

 _12:00pm_

 _Hey, I'm thinking about you and I hope you're ok. You're not in school today so I guess you're not feeling well. Get better soon, it's lonely here without you to spend lunch with me._

Sugu skimmed the final message carefully.

 _3:30am_

 _Kirito I'm getting worried. This isn't like you to not return my texts. Please let me know you're all right. I love you so much._

With a heavy sigh, Sugu typed her reply, informing her of the situation.

 _Hey, It's Sugu. I'm sorry we didn't text you sooner, Kazuto has been sick the past couple days and we had to take him to the hospital. He's in surgery right now. The OR waiting room is on the third floor. No one's been out yet._

Sugu hit send and sighed. She knew Asuna would soon join them. She also knew that if there was anyone that could help Kazuto through his illness., it would be Asuna. It had been proven that when the pair were together, there wasn't anything they couldn't do. This thought brought her only a little comfort. There was only one thing that could ease her mind.

"Still nothing?" Midori asked taking a seat beside her daughter. Sugu shook her head.

"No. But I told Asuna. She'll be coming soon."

"I know. Those two are practically inseparable." Thirty minutes passed as they became increasingly anxious and found they could no longer sit.

"Mrs. Kirigaya, Sugu-" Asuna hurried toward them, finding herself pulled into a hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, everything seemed to happen so fast." She explained.

"You had to put him first, he'll be fine." She soothed.

"Mrs. kirigaya?"The trio turned, a young woman dressed in surgical scrubs stood before them.

"Yes." Midori replied.

"I'm Dr. Ishida. I have some updates regarding your son. If you wouldn't mind taking a seat, I'd like to go over the details. The women sank back down onto the chairs.

"First you should know that he's been taken to recovery but it's going to be a while before he can be moved from there. His appendix ruptured and the infection spread through his abdomen and into his blood. We're continuing the medication he was getting down stairs. During the procedure, his blood pressure dropped and we're still trying to stabilize it. He-"

"But he's okay, right, I mean the medicine can fix that." Sugu said hopefully.

"The surgery was difficult for him, but the hope is that his condition will start to improve within the next few days. You can expect the symptoms to continue for a while and he's going to be very weak. The pain can be severe, so we'll be giving him pain management as well. All of this is given through an IV. We'll monitor him closely. I can take you to see him if you like." Midori nodded and the group stood up, following the doctor through the hall. Their anxiety increasing.

The group came to a stop in front of the last door in the hall.

"If you need anything, or you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask." Midori nodded. The three women drew in a breath and let it out slowly as they stepped into the room and over to the bed.

Kazuto was pale, signs of his fever were clearly visible. Wires seemed to come from everywhere, attaching the boy to the medical equipment surrounding him.

Asuna reached out, stroking his hair and taking his hand with her free hand, careful not to disturb the IV that had been inserted. Midori and Sugu stood on the other side of the bed.

"Kazuto," Asuna said softly. "We're here, Sugu, your mom and me. We love you so much and we need you to get better,okay?"

"Please Brother." Sugu pleaded. Hoping that somehow Kazuto would hear her and oblige.


	3. Chapter 3

Sugu lowered herself onto the chair beside Asuna. Her mother had fallen asleep next to her son's bed.

Kazuto had not yet rejoined his loved ones, leaving them to wait impatiently. Nurses often visited, writing down notes as they monitored his progress which didn't seem to be moving along as they had hoped, the teen's fever spiked several times since he was taken to the recovery room, leading the medical team to increase the medication.

Sugu stood to place a cool compress on her brother's forehead, she lightly touched his hand before returning to her seat.

"Come on, Brother. You have to wake up now." She said quietly.

"He'll wake up soon." Asuna soothed. "They're giving him medicine to help-"

"It doesn't look like it's working very well to me. Sometimes I wish...life was more like a game, I mean if we were in ALO right now, we could heal him, better yet , he wouldn't be sick in the first place." Sugu reasoned. "He looks almost...fragile. He's-"

"He's not. You and I both know he's far from it. He's sick but he'll get through this." As if to prove Asuna's point, Kazuto slowly shifted his head away from them, a soft moan escaped him.

Both girls leaned forward in their chairs.

"Kazuto?"Sugu called softly. The boy gave no reply. He seemed to be struggling to wake fully. Asuna stood up, gently stroking his dark hair and holding his hand.

"It's okay. Take your time, we're going to be right here when you're ready. We love you." He turned toward her voice,at last finding the strength to look up into her eyes with blurred vision.

"A-Asuna." He replied weakly, the girl smiled.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"don't know-" he replied weakly,unable to think clearly.

"Shh, it's okay. You've got a lot of medicine going through your system right now. Just take it easy. " she soothed. Kazuto felt dizzy and weak, his thoughts seemed clouded. The ill teen closed his eyes once more.

"Kazuto?" Sugu called, standing up beside the bed. "Hey, are you-"

"Tired." He mumbled.

"You'll be feeling better soon, Brother. Mom will be happy to see you awake."

"M-Mom?"

"Yeah, she's sleeping right now, it's been kind of a long morning for her and she didn't sleep much last night. We were worried about you. " the ill boy again looked up at his visitors,then glanced around the room.

"What -"

"Your appendix ruptured." she said. "You had surgery and you have an infection,you'll be feeling sick for a little while." Kazuto didn't reply, instead he closed his eyes once again,drifting back into sleep. He woke with the pain returning to his belly. He shifted slowly only to add to the pain.

"It's all right,Kazuto. Lie still." Midori instructed

"I-it hurts." The ill teen replied weakly.

"I know,I'm so sorry,I should've brought you here sooner,you wouldn't have been so sick." She reached over to grab the control button, placing it in her son's hand. "You can push this for more pain medicine. I want you to use it anytime you need it, don't worry about pushing it too much, it only gives you a certain amount each time.

Kazuto let out an involuntary moan as he pressed down on the device. Midori sighed heavily.

" M-mom? "He called quietly.

" I'm here,take it easy. " Kazuto reached out to her,his body shivering.

"So cold." Midori turned to the chair behind her,never letting go of his hand. She took the blanket and carefully spread it over the boy. She leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his forehead.

" 's'okay. " he soothed as best he could,though everything around him seemed hazy and slightly distorted,he attempted to fight against it,but it would soon prove to be a losing battle.

"Try to rest, it's been a long day. You're going to need your strength. I love you."

" l-love you too. " After several minutes of fighting, Kazuto allowed himself to sink into a peaceful sleep. Midori lowered herself onto the edge of the bed.

"I'll be here when you wake up," she whispered to the sleeping teen. "I took the next couple of days off. I know I'm not home as much as I should be to make sure you and Sugu are looking after yourselves. Maybe then I would've realized it wasn't just the flu or only a stomachache." She brushed back a few strands of hair from his face. She sighed heavily,she had another long night ahead of her.

"The doctor thinks he's doing okay,he'll be here a bit longer." Asuna said into her phone,she stopped at the vending machine. "I'm sorry,I know we were all supposed to get together tomorrow."

" he needs you there, I understand. A ruptured appendix is more important to deal with, I'm glad he's okay. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help. "

"Thanks,Sinon. I'll do that,and I'll keep you updated."

" Hey,Asuna? "

"Yeah?"

"would it be okay if I came by, I can wait a couple days if it's better. "

"Of course,He's sleeping a lot right now,but you can stop by when you're ready. It'll be good for him to have his friends around." The girls ' conversation lasted only a moment longer and after offering wishes for a quick recovery, the call ended. Asuna placed the money in the slot,selecting a bottle of water. She repeated the action two more times, she leaned back against the machine with a sigh. She twisted the cap on the water and took a sip. The day's events had been difficult for her. From the moment she received the text,her thoughts seemed to be everywhere.

Asuna was however grateful for the ability to push the worst of them from her mind. She had spent every second of the half hour it took her to reach the hospital silently pleading for him to be all right,she found herself feeling exhausted now. Now that she had seen him awake, her fears decreased. She made her way back to the room,to find Midori placing a cool compress on Kazuto's forehead.

"Mrs. Kirigaya, I brought you some water." She said softly ,handing her one of the remaining bottles and placing the final one on the bedside table. Midori accepted it with a faint smile.

"Thank you."

" it's no problem, I just though you could use it, it wouldn't do any good if you get dehydrated. There's one here for Sugu too when she gets back. How is he doing? "

"He could be better,but he was awake again,I want to thank you for being there for him, it means so much to me as a mom to know he's found someone that cares and loves him so genuinely"

"Kazuto is always there for me when I need him, I can't help wanting to do the same. He saved me so many times and I've never felt so much love."

" it's easy to see how much you two love each other,i I wouldn't be surprised if one day you two get married. " Midori teased,Asuna blushed.

"Yeah, maybe." She turned her attention to the ill teen lying asleep in the bed. She took his hand and kissed his pale cheek. "I'm just glad he was awake. I missed him."

Midori placed a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be himself again in no time. Now that he knows we're all here,it'll only make him stronger."


	4. Chapter 4

"He 's going to be kind of out of it for a while,it's normal. He won't remember much of anything, but expect him to continue to sleep a lot." The doctor explained."Kazuto's vitals are stabilizing slower than I'd expect, it's enough of a concern for us to monitor him closely. It'll take time for the medication to work but once the fever comes down significantly, and he starts getting his strength back, it won't be so difficult."

Asuna soaked one of the cloths in the container of cool water that she had placed on the bedside table shortly before the doctor arrived. She squeezed out the extra water and gently wiped away the sweat from the ill teen's face. Kazuto stirred,opening his eyes slowly

"How are you feeling today?" She asked softly,using her free hand to stroke his hair.

" I don't really feel very good. I can't -"Kazuto said weakly.

" It's okay, you're very sick right now,but you've got your mom and your sister...and I'm here. We'll take care of you. " Kazuto allowed his eyes to wander around the room briefly before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

"Asuna,when did you get here?" He asked in a confused tone. She offered a faint smile.

"I've been here for a while. You don't remember talking to me at all?"

"No. Sorry."

" that's okay,it's not your fault, it's just the medicine. "

"Where-'

" you're in the hospital. " the doctor interjected. "I'm Dr. Ishida. You had your appendix removed. It ruptured and led to a serious infection,that's why you're not feeling very well,you have a lot of meds to help but it'll take 'time. It's very important that you rest as much as possible. We'll do some imaging tests in a few days to make sure you're healing properly. Do any of you have questions for me?"

"How long will he be like this?" Sugu asked.

" Well, what you're seeing now is an effect of the meds he's getting and I think he's still struggling a little with the anesthetic. It sometimes takes people a little longer to get it out of their system. Some need a few hours, others can take days. He'll be on the meds for a while. We'll need to keep an eye on him. Typically patients in this situation need to stay at least a week,by then you should notice improvements. Keep in mind that everyone is different,recovery times can vary. When the medicine starts to wear off, he'll feel the pain coming back. Remind him that he has a button for the pain. "

"Thank you, we'll do that." Midori replied, she gazed at her son in concern.

Kazuto closed his eyes once again. She reached over to rest a hand on his shoulder. When the doctor exited the room, Midori drew in a breath.

"You girls must be exhausted." She said . "I appreciate you being here to help,but if you need a break,Kazuto would understand. go home and get some sleep,you can visit him a little later." Neither of the girls moved.

"If it's all right, , I'd like to stay. He was there for me when I was in the hospital,I can't leave him." Midori nodded.

"There was nothing in the world that could keep him from you. He was so adamant about staying with loves you so much." Asuna smiled faintly.

"I love him too,more than my own life." Though it was true that Asuna was exhausted, she couldn't leave him.

"He's my brother, there's no way I'm going anywhere." Sugu vowed. "You can't get rid of us that easy.

" S-sugu? " Kazuto called weakly,opening his eyes to meet her gaze.

"I'm right here,Brother." She soothed.

"I-I'm sorry."

" For what? "

"Pushing you away. All the times y-" tears filled his eyes as he spoke.

"Hey, it's okay."

"It's not,I'm supposed to be there for you and -"

" You are, all the time. It's just the medicine,try to sleep and we'll talk about it when you're feeling better. " she reached over to the bedside table and grabbed a tissue from the box,gently wiping away the tears.

"Su-"

"How many times did you do this for me, it's my turn to take care of you now. Just rest. Everything's going to be fine,I promise."

" But I -"

"I forgive you,Brother. Don't give it another thought. You're always going to be my brother and I'll always love you. Sleep,you'll feel better when you wake up." Kazuto seemed to find comfort in her words and drifted back into sleep, leaving Sugu to dry her own tears.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry, I meant to update this sooner. This has been a difficult month for me. I just lost one of my sisters (April) and we were very close. She encouraged me when no one else did, I miss her so much. I talked to her often and I truly miss that. My heart is still very much shattered. I'm going to do my best to push forward. I got my love of writing from her. I never would have attempted to make stories much less share them with all of you if it wasn't for her encouragement and love.

I appreciate your patience and I will work on finishing this as well as my other stories as soon as I can.

Thank you

Sugu gently wiped the beads of sweat from Kazuto's face as he slept . The steady beeping of the machines that surrounded him provided the only sound in the room. She laid the damp cloth on her brother's head and fixed the blanket around him.

She lowered herself into the chair at his bedside.

"I'm worried about you. I know you'd tell me not to be and I'm trying. I remember last time you were here, it was the worst two years of my life. I was so afraid we were going to get a call saying you were never going to wake up . You looked so fragile, so weak, just like you do right now. You've always been the strongest person I know, Brother, so you can imagine what it felt like. I know this is different, but sometimes-" she paused, taking in a breath. "I wish I had said something sooner. Mom blames herself, but she wasn't the one who let it happen. I could've told her you weren't feeling good when you went right to bed after school the other day, or when you wouldn't eat. You told me it was just the flu. I guess at the time I had no reason to doubt it. I don't know if you really thought that or you were trying to protect me. You've always been good at that. You've been doing that all my life and when you really needed me-"

"You were just a phone call away." Kazuto said, his voice was a strained whisper. "C-could've been a lot worse." Sugu could hear the pain in his voice.

"How are you feeling?" The younger teen asked. She reached for the device for the pain medication.

"Not great. It really-" she placed the device in his hand.

"I know. This will make it feel better. The doctor said you're going to have a lot of pain for a while. You push this when you need to, brother." Kazuto pressed the button, he attempted to shift himself into a more comfortable position. Instantly, pain shot through his abdomen.

Kazuto let out a sharp gasp, his hand instinctively moved toward the source of the pain. Sugu gently took hold of his hand.

"I really need you to be still. You can't move around a lot, you'll hurt yourself. Remember, you just had surgery and you can tear the-"

"yeah, I know, the damn-"

" Shh, it'll be okay. You just need to let the medicine work, mom and Asuna should be back soon and Sinon wants to visit when you're feeling better. everyone really misses you and they've been worried. Asuna's been keeping them updated. Oh and Agil asked about you. we all want you to get better and we can get back to the way things should be. You still have to help me with my quest,remember? "

"N-no,sorry.I'm in too much pain to think about much of anything." Kazuto was beginning to drift,the medicine was already taking effect. The boy relaxed, finding it difficult to keep his eyes open.

"I guess I can't really expect you to, you've been very sick. We'll talk about it when you're better." Suguha placed Kazuto's hand on the bed at his side. She knew he needed rest, but hated that he slept so deeply.

"As soon as I get home, we'll work on it." He promised, allowing himself to sleep once more.

"You get better first, you're more important. We can do quests any time. It'll be great to have you home again. You'll be able to rest without people coming in to do tests and it'll be a lot less frustrating for you. We'd feel better too, you should've seen mom when she was leaving, she worried. It was like that before too. Asuna was awake most of the night, we talked about a lot of things. She really loves you a lot, Brother. If you could've heard the way she spoke about you, I know it's no big secret or anything,but...it's good to know." She sat back in her chair.

"It would be great if I could just get you a healing crystal or something. I feel like there's something more I should be doing to help you. Asuna said that's normal, but I don't know..."Sugu turned her attention to the homework in front of her. She had found it difficult to concentrate that morning at school and by the afternoon, she found herself back at her brother's bedside.

"How's the homework coming?" Midori asked, appearing in the doorway, Asuna followed close behind. Both women carried two plastic bags.

"It's okay." Sugu replied, still staring down at the page. Asuna set her items on the chair, making her way over to Kazuto. She reached out, stroking the boy's hair softly,kissing his head.

At her touch, Kazuto opened his eyes, meeting her gaze.

"Hey," She said gently. "I missed you. You feeling any better?" It was clear that the teen was fighting to stay awake.

"Don't know." He managed weakly.

"Sleep for a bit, it'll help." Asuna sat down on the edge of the bed. "I love you."

"love you too." he replied, drifting back into sleep.

"I can't wait until you're off these meds, it'll be nice to be able to communicate. I miss you." Midori opened the bags, removing several plastic containers and offering them to the girls.

'Take a little break and have something to eat, Suguha." She instructed. "I know you're concerned, but you have to keep your strength up or you can't expect to help him much.

"I know, but-"

"He'll be fine, he wants you to be too." Asuna added. Sugu couldn't deny that fact,she knew what her brother would say if he were more aware of what was happening. She nodded, closing her book and opening the container. A soft knock on the door caused them to pause.

A young dark haired girl stood in the doorway, an envelope in her hand.

"Sorry, I can come back if-" Asuna smiled.

"Hey Sinon, Kazuto is sleeping right now, but if you want, you can come in and talk for a bit, maybe he'll wake up again while you're here." Receiving a nod of approval from Sugu and Midori, Sinon entered the room and made herself comfortable on the chair, deciding not to stay long and interrupt them anymore than she already had.


End file.
